I recently read a study that found that older generations of Americans spend more of their money purchasing things while the younger generations prefer to spend their money on having an experience. This makes sense because the older generation lived through the great depression and two world wars; for those men and women and their children having possessions you could call your own was a great accomplishment.
Thankfully, younger generations of Americans haven’t had the same hardships. And partly because of that fact they do not value personal ownership of things as highly. Younger people tend to value having a great experience instead. The current generation should be thankful that the men and women before them sacrificed so that they could have a better experience than their parents did.
Younger generations have been left with more opportunities and more ability to collect experiences, but sometimes we waste that opportunity by remaining comfortable in the life our parents have left us. Often it’s uncomfortable to go out and experience new things, but it’s important the opportunity we have is not wasted.
With that in mind here are three reasons I try to spend my time and money collecting experiences rather than collecting possessions:
Experiences build strong relationships.
Humans are relationship creatures. We were built to be together. Even those among us who are introverts need other people. The way you build relationships with other people is having shared experiences. Even bad experiences that are shared can strengthen a relationship.
If you’ve ever taken a trip with someone you were dating you know this is true. There’s something about traveling together that will fast forward the depth of a relationship. It can help you figure out very quickly if the two of you can work together through missed flights, early mornings, and constant interaction.
Possessions don’t have the same power to draw two humans closer to each other. Possessions are inherently selfish. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong to have things but unless a relationship is built around those things then they do nothing to draw people together.
Mutually experiencing something draws people together in a way that having something cannot.
Experiences build character.
Experiences can challenge you. And what challenges you changes you. In one way or another every experience you have will change the person you are just a little bit. For better or worse.
So seek out experiences that help you grow as a person. Do things that make you a better human being. Spend your time and money on experiences. Take trips to help people abroad or feed the homeless where you live. These experiences will not only change others but they’ll change you.
You will remember experiences when you get old.
Picture yourself as an old person sitting in a rocking chair thinking back over your life. What do you remember? Will it be the places you went and the things you saw? Close your eyes and think back on the moments of your life. Pick out a couple specific times and think about how you felt.
I’m betting the things you will remember are the things you did. The time you took a crazy chance, the moments you spent with your kids, or that vacation that didn’t go exactly as you planned.
The TV you just couldn’t live without is now so far out of date you couldn’t give it away. Your closet is full of shoes that are all worn out and out of style. The truck you bought broke down a long time ago. And you can’t even remember what it was you wanted so badly for your 19th birthday.
Possessions rot, rust, and devalue. Experiences last forever.
Final Thought:
